Natalie Stechyson reports on CBC News about When everything is digital, why we long for media we can hold in our hands.

Her claim:

“After years of digitizing everything, people are rediscovering the value of physical assets. DVDs, vinyl records and film cameras are all experiencing a renaissance. Even cassette tapes are making a comeback.”

She interviews owner Tom Ivison of Classic Video in Kingston, Ontario, who rents more than 50,000 DVDs and Blu-rays.

She outlines growing interest in vinyl records, CDs and cassette tapes.

She quotes Richard Lachman, associate professor in the RTA School of Media at Toronto Metropolitan University:

“‘More people are spending a lot more time consuming media at home. And they’re building rooms, or are collecting in some way. And DVDs are physical objects. They look nice in a room. The physicality of it is part of the joy you’re getting from the fandom.'”

My take: True, not everything is available to stream. But frankly I can’t remember the last time I watched something on physical media. Oh, it was an obscure British crime drama on DVD from the library last year! I think physical media is very much a secondary market and can’t be a viable means of distribution again; it’s merch. The value for collectors should not be underestimated, though.